Jason Bay joins New York Mets, says team was always on his 'short list'

Jason Bay dons Mets uniform for first time as he checks out Citi Field Tuesday. (Corey Sipkin/New York Daily News)

That's what they all say.

Jason Bay insists that the Mets were on his "short list" from the start of the free agency process - and that after 1-1/2seasons in Boston, he is hardly overwhelmed by the prospect of playing in New York.

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Bay finally was feted with an introductory press conference Tuesday to announce a deal he revealed was agreed to "a few days before Christmas." The slugging outfielder donned his No. 44 Mets jersey for the first time and made a convincing case that any concerns over his perceived reluctance to join the Mets are unfounded. In fact, he called the teaming a "perfect fit."

"Ultimately, I'm here and I'm telling you I want to be here. I understand it, but I am here and I'm telling you that wasn't the case," Bay said. "First of all, I am here, and I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be or if I wasn't happy. That couldn't be further from the truth.

"You don't get a lot of chances to pick where you're going to go and ultimately Omar (Minaya) and Jeff (Wilpon) made it known from Day 1 that they were very interested, and their pursuit and their want for me was a big factor."

Bay, 31, will have plenty of time to back up those assertions, since his four-year, $66 million contract includes a full no-trade clause. His guaranteed money breaks down to $63 million over the four firm years of the deal (including an $8.5 million signing bonus), plus a $17 million vesting option (based on at-bats) with a $3 million buyout for 2014.

Bay acknowledged a return to the Red Sox also ranked high on his list of priorities, but he believes he can help the Mets contend immediately following the team's disastrous 2009, which included 92 losses and a major-league low 95 home runs.

"There are a lot of guys on this ballclub that can do good things," said Bay, who had career highs of 36 homers and 119 RBI last season for Boston. "I have a fresh perspective about (what happened to the Mets last year).

"All I know is they had a lot of guys get hurt. But talent-wise this is a very good team. Before last year started, a lot of people probably had them as a playoff team or going even further....You have a great group of hitters, arguably the best pitcher in baseball (in Johan Santana), so what's not to like?"

The three-time All-Star was raised in Trail, British Columbia, and played 4-1/2 seasons with the Pirates, winning the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2004 before he was traded to Boston to replace Manny Ramirez at the 2008 trade deadline.

Before agreeing to rejoin the Mets - he was an organizational farmhand in 2002 - Bay admitted to seeking advice in September about New York from Red Sox teammate Billy Wagner. He also talked to another former Boston teammate, Alex Cora, as well as ex-Met Xavier Nady, a close friend and former teammate in the Padres system.

"(New York) doesn't seem daunting to me," Bay said. "As long as you toil in anonymity in some places, some people have questions like, 'Can you do it here?' Unless you get the chance, you can't prove it.

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"When I went to Boston, I'm sure a lot of people said that. ... A lot of people looked at it like I was replacing Manny but I never did, and that probably helped."

"When we started this winter, we felt that we had to slug more, to be able to have a power hitter, to be able to have a guy that would fit into the middle of our lineup," Minaya said. "We said to the fans, 'Be patient but we will eventually get to achieving our goals.' I think today, having Jason here, we achieved one of our goals this winter."